Bustle



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

T. P. TAYLOR.

BUST-LE.

Patented Dec. 6, 1887.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

P. TAYLOR;

'BUSTLE.

No. 374,214. Patented Dec. 6, 18.87.

N. PETERS, rmwmho mr. Walh'wflon. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS P. TAYLOR, OF BRIDGEIOR'I, CONNECTICUT.

BUSTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,214, dated December 6, 1887.

Application filed August 25, 1887. Serial No. 247,839.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS P. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bustles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in bustles, and has for its object to provide a device of this description which shall be cheap and simple in construction, which shall be light in weight and in no way irksome to the wearer, and which shall employ the folding or collapsing priir ciple-that is to say, a bustle which shall fold up when the wearer is seated, and shall automatically return to its normal distended position when the wearer rises; and with these ends in view my invention consists in the details of construction hereinafter fully set forth,

. and then recited in the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may fully understand my device and how to makethc same, I will describe my improved bustle in detail, reference by numbers being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- D Figure 1 is a perspective of my device in distended position; Fig. 2, a perspective showing the bustle collapsed, and Fig. 3 a perspective of a modified construction in which a duplex Spring is employed.

Like figures indicate like parts in all the views.

That portion of my device whose function it is to distend the draperies presents no particularly novel features, and consists ofthe side stays, 1, the distendingbows 2, which latter are hinged to the stays aforesaid, the top cross-piece, 3, connecting the upper extremities of the stays, the adjustable cord or band 4, whereby the lower ends of the side stays are secured together and are adjustable as to width, and the spacing tape or cord 5, which extends from the top cross-piece and connects the latter to the several bowed ribs.

The actuating and controlling device of my improved bustle consists of an L'shaped or right-angled spring, 7, which is twisted at its elbow into a plurality of coils, as seen at 8. The upper end of one arm of this spring (No model.)

is secured to the top cross-piece, 3, so as to give it a bearing thereon. The outer end of the horizontal arm of the spring is attached to the lower of the series of bowed ribs 2. A stay-cord, 9, preferably extends from thelower ends of the side ribs to the coils of th espring.

10 is any ordinary waistband or belt.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a duplex spring similar in action to that illustrated in the preceding figures, but having two points of attachment to the top cross-piece, 3, and forming a bow at its point of connection with the bottom rib.

\Vhen the wearer sits down, the several bowed ribs are turned upon their hinged connections with the side stays upward toward the position shown at Fig. 2 and against the resilient action of the spring, which, as will be readily understood, always tends to hold thebowedribsdistended. Immediatelypressure is released from said ribs by the rising of the wearer the spring throws the bows outward and downward to their normal distended position.

I do not desire to be limited in my invention to any particular formation of bustle, since the distending principle herein set forth can be applied to bustles whose'details of construction vary from those herein set forth.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim A collapsible bustle consisting of the following elements, viz: a pair of side stays adapted to rest against the person of the wearer and connected at their topslby a ci'osspiece, a series of distending-bows hinged to said side stays, an L-shaped spring secured at its upper end to the cross-piece, convoluted at its elbow, and connected at its outer extremity to the center of the lowest distending bow, said spring being located substantially midway between the side stays and entirelyindependent thereof, a stay cord extended from the bottom ends of the side stays to the elbow of the spring, whereby the latter is retained in proper position, a check-tape joining the bows, anda suitable waistband for the attachment of the bustle to the body, all arranged as and for the purpose set'forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS P. TAYLOR.

Witnesses:

S. H. HUBBARD, S. S. WILLIAMSON. 

